Communication in moroccan children’s toys and play

This chapter analyzes the topic of communication in the sphere of toy-making and play activities of Moroccan children. It mostly discusses communication between children: peers or older and younger children. A subsequent section looks at the communication between children and the adult world. There is also a section on the communication between the players, their families, and the ethnographer. Two important aspects, namely gender and change, are discussed in separate sections. The described toys and play activities are those of children between 3 and 15 years of age living in rural areas and popular quarters of towns. The traditional toy and play culture as well as the impact of modern technology and way of life are analyzed. The data on Moroccan toys and play have been collected since 1992, mostly from children belonging to the Amazigh (Berber) populations of central and southern Morocco. In this research, children are seen as social and cultural actors within their own communities and in their relation to the ethnographer. They are not viewed as an isolated group but as part of the community to which they belong.